I have been reading a lot lately about culture, not on purpose; it is just the raft of manuscripts that young writers send for my endorsement. I normally wouldn’t read these works, but I take them on because I benefit from their ideas. I find it funny that they want my wisdom, but then proceed in their books to tell me how much I don’t know. I’ve lost my edge, I’m yesterday’s news, I can’t possibility stay in touch with their thinking, vocabulary, ideas, methods, it is all moving faster than I do these days.
And in large partI think they are right, even a 61 year old committed learner like me gets weary of the new, I am increasingly drawn to the old, the ancient, what has staying power. Should I reread Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship or the latest research on the Church? Mere Christianity or Christianity Today? Peterson’s The Contemplative Pastor or Rev Magazine?
These days I am moved more by Caravaggio’s Disposition of Christ or even Dagas’ little sculptured horses and women than Christian literature. I enjoy sitting for fifteen minutes in front of a 13th century alter piece that features the life, the death and the resurrection of Christ. I like doing in church what the ancients did 1500 years ago; I like the simple God focused nature of the prayers, the confessions, the words of exultation.
But I do like being cool, which according to one of my young teachers, Earl Creps, is a combination of Hip, Beautiful, idiosyncratic and contagious. AOL used to be cool along with pleated trousers, but now it’s the iphone, or using the Mac, cool costs more because the elite fraternity of the cool has consecrated it.
I think there may be something to the idea that to know what is cool and then finding others who are cool can be helpful to your interest in evangelizing the world. I think the bigger lesson for me is since I am already cool, is to hang out with the young cool, to let them teach me how to speak to them, and there is much they can teach me.
Creps' soon to be released book on Reverse Mentoring proposes that the young can mentor the old. The young have a great deal to teach us besides how to get our electronics to stop blinking 12:00…… 12:00…….12:00……12:00. I must mention Alan Kraft’s soon to be released, When Trying Harder Doesn’t Work, wonderful insights, great illustrations, penetrating scriptural analysis. While I am pondering the depths of Muggeridge, Kant, or even Willard, I appreciate it when some novice interrupts in order to teach me.
As a school teacher, I am exposed to the continuous "latest study" of how to teach or present information. New gizmos, ipods, technology integration, blah blah blah. Everyone seems to think to have the latest gee whiz item is equitable to being cool or hip and if you are hip or cool that you are a good teacher. I am a fundamentalist and I use basic teaching skills or old school techniques. God has allowed me to rise from a basic teacher to the school's highest score achieving teacher within four years. I parallel this anecdote to being a christian. Stick to the basics.. Read the bible, pray to God, be faithful, glorify God, and spread the word of God. The younger generation wants continuity to validate themselves in this everchanging world. You are their anchor in life's rolling sea. The young can help us communicate in their terms but we must present the ancient words of the bible without worrying whether it is at the moment fashionable. Old is GOOD! We are the mentors of God's laws and commandment and must not fall prey to the deception that being socially cool is the same as being a good teacher. We are not of this world and the world hates the christian because we are soldiers for christ. So being cool is not necessarily good..I would rather be a dork christian than a cool teacher....enuf sed
The things you enjoy are cool, it depends on who you ask. Youth enjoys the blessing of ignorance and a overabundance of energy.
The wonderful thing is that you consider this all.
Greetings!
I'm at Moody Bible Institute's Pastor's Conference in Chicago this week, and ran into Paul Mascarella at the Choose the Life booth. I picked up a copy of the study materials and can hardly wait to get into the workbooks. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your transparency, and am looking forward to investing in the lives of other leaders as we explore a faith that embraces discipleship.
Richard Wollard, Sr. Pastor
Meadowland Community Church
rwollard@meadowlandchurch.org